document_title: Only Fools and Horses

question_text: how long did only fools and horses go on for

root

text: Only Fools and Horses

text: Plot[edit]

text: Derek "Del Boy" Trotter (played by David Jason), a fast-talking, archetypal South London 'fly' trader, lives in a council flat in a high-rise tower block, Nelson Mandela House, in Peckham, South London, with his much younger brother, Rodney Trotter (Nicholas Lyndhurst), and their elderly Grandad (Lennard Pearce).[1] Their mother, Joan, died when Rodney was young, and their father Reg absconded soon afterwards, so Del became Rodney's surrogate father and the family patriarch. Despite the difference in age, personality, and outlook, the brothers share a constant bond throughout.[2]

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text: The situation focuses primarily on their attempts to become millionaires through questionable get rich quick schemes and by buying and selling poor-quality and illegal goods. They have a three-wheeled Reliant Regal van and trade under the name of Trotters Independent Traders, mainly on the black market.[2]

text: Initially, Del Boy, Rodney and Grandad were the only regulars, along with the occasional appearances of roadsweeper Trigger (Roger Lloyd-Pack) and pretentious used car salesman Boycie (John Challis). Over time, the cast expanded, mostly in the form of regulars at the local pub The Nag's Head. These included pub landlord Mike Fisher (Kenneth MacDonald), lorry driver Denzil (Paul Barber), youthful spiv Mickey Pearce (Patrick Murray) and Boycie's flirtatious wife Marlene (Sue Holderness).[2]

text: As the series progressed, the scope of the plots expanded. Many early episodes were largely self-contained, with few plot-lines mentioned again, but the show developed a story arc and an ongoing episodic dimension. After Grandad died following the death of actor Lennard Pearce, his younger brother Uncle Albert (Buster Merryfield) emerged and moved in with Del and Rodney.[1] After years of searching, both Del and Rodney find long-term love, in the form of Raquel (Tessa Peake-Jones) and Cassandra (Gwyneth Strong) respectively; Del also has a son with Raquel, Damien (played by five actors, most recently Ben Smith). Rodney and Cassandra marry, separate and then get back together again. Cassandra miscarries, but then she and Rodney eventually have a baby. Rodney finds out who his real father was. The Trotters finally become millionaires, lose their fortune, and then regain some of it.[3]

text: Cast and characters[edit]

text: Main cast and characters[edit]

text: Derek Edward "Del Boy" Trotter (David Jason) — Del was an archetypal South London market trader, willing to sell anything to anyone to make money. Del was devoted to his family, taking care of Rodney and Grandad on his own from the age of 16. Del was also known for his penchant for his cultural faux pas, in particular his misuse of French phrases. Del never settled down with a woman until he met Raquel, with whom he had a son, Damien.[4][5]

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text:
Rodney Charlton Trotter (Nicholas Lyndhurst) — Rodney is Del's younger brother, and is more academically gifted, although only to the extent of two GCEs.[8] Orphaned when young, Rodney was raised by Del. His principal role throughout the show was as Del's lackey and sidekick. Much of the conflict between the two came from Rodney's dislike of his reliance on Del, and his unsuccessful attempts to gain greater independence through girlfriends or by setting up his own businesses; he was only partially successful after marrying Cassandra and briefly going to work for her father.[9] In contrast to Del Boy, the part of Rodney was cast early, with Lyndhurst settled on quickly. Sullivan partly based Rodney on his own experiences; he, too, had a much older sibling and, like Rodney, claims to have been a dreamer and an idealist in his youth.[10]
Grandad (Lennard Pearce) — Del and Rodney's elderly grandad was added to the cast to balance the three distinct generations, adding the voice of experience to the situation.[10] In casting the role of Grandad, Sullivan had in mind an actor similar to Wilfrid Brambell, who had played Albert Steptoe in Steptoe and Son, but chose not to use Brambell himself, thinking him too closely associated with Steptoe.[6] After seeing Pearce's audition, Sullivan settled on casting him immediately.[11] Scruffy and daft, although sometimes displaying a razor sharp wit, Grandad rarely left the flat or even moved from his armchair in front of two television sets. Despite his age he was invariably treated as a dogsbody by Del and Rodney, often being assigned mundane jobs around the flat such as cooking meals.[12] Pearce died in 1984 whilst filming the series four episode "Hole in One" (several scenes were subsequently re-shot with Buster Merryfield)[13] and Sullivan wrote a new episode, "Strained Relations", which featured Grandad's funeral.[14]
Uncle Albert (Buster Merryfield) — Shortly after the death of Lennard Pearce, it was decided that a new older family member should be brought in, which eventually led to "Uncle Albert", Grandad's long-lost younger brother. Merryfield was an inexperienced amateur actor at the time, but was selected because he appeared to fit the description of an old sailor, especially with his distinctive white "Captain Birdseye" beard.[15] Albert first appeared at Grandad's funeral, and soon moved in with Del and Rodney.[16] His wartime experiences with the Royal Navy became one of the show's running gags,[16] usually begun with the words "During the war...".[17] Merryfield died in 1999 and Albert's death was written into the next episode.[18][19]

text: Supporting cast and characters[edit]

text:
Trigger (Roger Lloyd-Pack) — Trigger, apparently so called because he looks like a horse, was the principal supporting character earlier in the show's run, although his importance lessened as the series progressed.[20] Lloyd Pack was cast by pure chance: Ray Butt, who hired him to portray Trigger after seeing him in a stage play, had only attended that play to observe potential Del Boy actor Billy Murray.[21] A daft road sweeper most frequently seen in the Nag's Head, Trigger was initially portrayed as a small-time thief, supplying Del with dubious goods.[20] In later episodes he came to adopt the 'village idiot' role, and believes that Rodney's real name is Dave.[22]
Boycie (John Challis) — A shady used car salesman and a frightful snob. Boycie, a freemason, was very self-centred and prone to boasting about his high social status.[23][24] Challis had played a similar character in an episode of Citizen Smith. Sullivan liked him, and promised to cast him in a future series, which led to Boycie.[23] Boycie later featured in a spin-off series, The Green Green Grass, starting in 2005, in which he and his wife Marlene fled from a criminal gang.[25]
Raquel Turner (Tessa Peake-Jones) — Raquel was introduced because Sullivan wanted more female characters and for Del to start meeting more mature women. Her first appearance, in "Dates", was intended to be a one-off, but she was written in again a year later and thereafter became a permanent cast member.[26] An ambitious trained singer and actress whose career never took off, she met Del through a dating agency, but they fell out over her part-time job as a stripper, before getting together again. This time she moved in with Del, helping to mellow him, and they had a son together, named Damien. As the character unfolded, it was revealed that she was previously married to Del's nemesis, DCI Roy Slater.[27][28]
Cassandra Trotter (Gwyneth Strong) — Cassandra first met Rodney in "Yuppy Love". Their relationship blossomed, and by the end of series six the two had married. But her high career ambitions caused conflict with Rodney, and their troubled marriage was one of the main storylines later in the show's run.[29]
Marlene Boyce (Sue Holderness)  — Marlene was initially just an unseen character, occasionally mentioned by her husband, Boycie. She was a cheerful woman who desired a child. Details were occasionally revealed about Marlene's prior reputation as being popular with the local men.[30] She did finally have a son, Tyler.[31]
Denzil Tulser (Paul Barber) — An easy-going Liverpudlian lorry driver,[32] Denzil was often on the receiving end of Del's scams. His inability to say no to Del's business deals frequently led to conflict with his domineering wife, Corrine (Eva Mottley), who was only sighted once, in "Who's a Pretty Boy?".[33] Sullivan had planned to bring Corrine back for more episodes, but after Mottley's death in 1985, he opted to make her an unseen character rather than use another actress.[34]
Mickey Pearce (Patrick Murray) — Mickey was a young, obnoxious spiv and friend of Rodney's, known for his exaggerated boasts about his success in business or with women. Despite their friendship, Mickey often took advantage of Rodney's gullibility by stealing his girlfriends or making off with all the money from their business partnership.[35]
Mike Fisher (Kenneth MacDonald) — The landlord of the Nag's Head, although not from the very beginning; his predecessor was never seen, with just a succession of barmaids providing service. Good natured and somewhat gullible, he was often targeted by Del as a potential customer for any goods he was selling. When Kenneth MacDonald died in 2001, a storyline involving Mike's imprisonment for attempting to embezzle the brewery was written, and cafe owner Sid took over as interim pub landlord.[36]
Damien Trotter (various) — Damien was Del and Raquel's son. It was Rodney's mocking suggestion that he be named Damien. Six actors played Damien: Patrick McManus (1991), Grant Stevens (1991), Robert Liddement (1992), Jamie Smith (1993–96), Douglas Hodge (1996, as adult), and Ben Smith (2001–03).[29]
Sid (Roy Heather) — Sid made sporadic appearances throughout the show's run, mainly as the proprietor of the run-down and unhygienic local cafe. Sid fought in the war and it is revealed in the episode "The Jolly Boys' Outing" that he was captured and imprisoned. After Nag's Head landlord Mike was imprisoned, Sid took over and kept that role for the remainder of the series.[37]

text: Minor cast and characters[edit]

text: The most frequent roles for guest actors in Only Fools and Horses were as Del or Rodney's once-seen girlfriends, barmaids at the Nag's Head, or individuals the Trotters were doing business with. Del and Rodney's deceased mother, Joan, though never seen, cropped up in Del's embellished accounts of her, or in his attempts to emotionally blackmail Rodney. Her grave – a flamboyant monument – was seen occasionally.[38] Their absent father, Reg, appeared once in "Thicker Than Water" (played by Peter Woodthorpe), before leaving under a cloud, never to be seen again.[39] Other members of the Trotter family were rarely sighted, the exceptions being the woman they believe to be Auntie Rose (Beryl Cooke) in "The Second Time Around",[40] and cousins Stan and Jean (Mike Kemp and Maureen Sweeney), who attended Grandad's funeral.[41] When Rodney met Cassandra, her father Alan Parry (Denis Lill) became a recurring character.[42] Raquel's parents, James and Audrey (Michael Jayston and Ann Lynn), appeared in "Time On Our Hands", and it was James who discovered the antique watch which made the Trotters millionaires.[43]

text: In some episodes, a guest character was essential to the plot. Del's ex-fiancée Pauline (Jill Baker) dominated Del's libido in "The Second Time Around",[44] prompting Rodney and Grandad to leave. In "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire", Del's old business partner Jumbo Mills (Nick Stringer) wanted Del to return to Australia with him and restore their partnership, forcing Del to make a decision.[45] An attempt by Lennox (Vas Blackwood) to rob a local supermarket set-up the "hostage" situation in "The Longest Night".[46] Del and Rodney spent the whole of "Tea for Three" battling each other for the affections of Trigger's niece Lisa (Gerry Cowper).[47] Abdul (Tony Anholt) in "To Hull and Back" and Arnie (Philip McGough) in "Chain Gang" were responsible for setting up dubious enterprises involving the Trotters in their respective episodes.[48] Tony Angelino (Philip Pope), the singing dustman with a speech impediment, was the key to the humour and the storyline of "Stage Fright" and EastEnders actor Derek Martin guest starred in Fatal Extraction.[49]

text: Del's nemesis from his school days, corrupt policeman DCI Roy Slater (played by Jim Broadbent), made three appearances, in "May The Force Be With You", "To Hull and Back" and "Class of '62".[50] Feared local villains, the Driscoll Brothers (Roy Marsden and Christopher Ryan) featured once, in "Little Problems", but were mentioned in two previous episodes ("Video Nasty" and "The Frog's Legacy"),[51] and are important in the story of The Green Green Grass.[52] A grown-up Damien (Douglas Hodge) appeared in "Heroes and Villains".[53] Rodney and Mickey's friends, the smooth-talking Jevon (Steven Woodcock) and then, briefly, Chris (Tony Marshall), a ladies' hairdresser, featured sporadically during the sixth and seventh series and the intervening Christmas specials.[54] The two-part 1991 Christmas special, "Miami Twice", saw Richard Branson and Barry Gibb make cameo appearances.[55] Mike Read appeared as himself, hosting an episode of "Top Of The Pops", in "It's Only Rock and Roll" and Jonathan Ross appeared as himself in "If They Could See Us Now".[56][3]

text: While their characters were less significant, well-known actors who played cameos in the programme included Joan Sims, best known for her numerous roles in the Carry On films,[38] who guest-starred in the feature-length episode "The Frog's Legacy" as an aunt of Trigger and old friend of Del's late mother;[38] Hollywood star David Thewlis, who played a young wannabe musician in "It's Only Rock and Roll";[57] John Bardon, who played the role of Jim Branning in the soap opera "EastEnders", as the supermarket security officer in "The Longest Night".[58] Walter Sparrow, who appeared as Dirty Barry in "Danger UXD", went on to appear in several Hollywood films.[59]

text: Production[edit]

text: Development[edit]

text: In 1980, John Sullivan, a scriptwriter under contract at the BBC, was already well known as the writer of the successful sitcom Citizen Smith. It came to an end that year and Sullivan was searching for a new project. An initial idea for a comedy set in the world of football was rejected by the BBC, as was his alternative idea, a sitcom centring on a cockney market trader in working class, modern-day London. The latter idea persisted.[60] Through Ray Butt, a BBC producer and director whom Sullivan had met and become friends with when they were working on Citizen Smith, a draft script was shown to the Corporation's Head of Comedy, John Howard Davies. Davies commissioned Sullivan to write a full series. Sullivan believed the key factor in its being accepted was the success of ITV's new drama, Minder, a series with a similar premise and also set in modern-day London.[11]

text: Sullivan had initially given the show the working title Readies. For the actual title he intended to use, as a reference to the protagonist's tax and work-evading lifestyle, Only Fools and Horses. That name was based on a genuine, though very obscure, saying, "only fools and horses work for a living", which had its origins in 19th-century American vaudeville.[61] Only Fools and Horses had also been the title of an episode of Citizen Smith, and Sullivan liked the expression and thought it was suited to the new sitcom.[62] He also thought longer titles would attract attention.[61] He was first overruled on the grounds that the audience would not understand the title, but he eventually got his way.[63]

text: Filming[edit]

text: Filming of the first series began in May 1981, and the first episode, "Big Brother", was transmitted on BBC1 at 8.30 pm on 8 September that year. It attracted 9.2 million viewers[64] and generally received a lukewarm response from critics.[65] The viewing figures for the whole first series, which averaged at around 7 million, were considered mediocre.[1] The costumes for the first series were designed by Phoebe De Gaye. Del's attire was inspired by her going to car boot sales. The budget was limited, and she took David Jason shopping in Oxford Street, and had him try a variety of suits. De Gaye purchased some gaily coloured Gabicci shirts, which were fashionable at the time and she thought "horrible".[66] Del's rings and bracelet were made of fake gold and came from Chapel Market. Rodney's combat jacket came from the BBC's Costume Department, and De Gaye added a Yasser Arafat scarf purchased from Shepherd's Bush Market. De Gaye used Vaseline, make-up, and food to make Grandad's costume look dirty. The idea was that he never had his hat off, never dressed properly, usually had pyjamas underneath his clothes, which would be dirty.[66]

text: A second series was commissioned for 1982. The second series fared a little better. However, both the first and second series had a repeat run in June 1983 in a more low-key time slot, but attracted a high enough viewing figure for Davies to commission a third series.[67] From there, the show began to top the television ratings. Viewing figures for the fourth series were double those of the first.[68] In early December 1984,[69] during the filming of Series 4, Lennard Pearce suffered a heart attack and was taken to hospital.[70] He died on 16 December, the day he was due to resume.[70] Sullivan got to work with the episode "Strained Relations" which featured their goodbye to Grandad.[71] According to Sullivan, recasting Grandad was considered disrespectful to Pearce by the team, so it was decided that another older family member was to be cast. Buster Merryfield was then cast as Grandad's brother Albert.[72] The scenes of "Hole in One" that featured Pearce were re-filmed with Merryfield.[73]

text: Midway through the filming of the fifth series, Jason told Sullivan that he wished to leave the show in order to further his career elsewhere. Sullivan thus wrote "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?", which was intended to be the final episode and would see Del accepting a friend's offer to set up business in Australia, leaving Rodney and Albert behind. Plans were made for a spin-off entitled Hot-Rod, which would have followed Rodney's attempts to survive on his own with help from Mickey Pearce, but leaving open the prospect of Del's return. Jason then changed his mind, and the ending of the episode was changed to show Del rejecting the offer.[74]

text: Sullivan had a tendency to write scripts that were too long, meaning a lot of good material had to be cut. Shortly before filming of the sixth series began, he and Jason requested that the show's time slot be extended and it was agreed to extend its running time to 50 minutes.[75] This required a 40 per cent increase in the show's budget,[76] and coincided with the show becoming one of the BBC's most popular programmes, according to producer Gareth Gwenlan.[77] Robin Stubbs became the costume designer for the sixth series, and was responsible for getting Del's attire to match his new yuppy image. His new suits cost around £200 each and were purchased from Austin Reed in Regent Street. The rest came from stores such as Tie-Rack and Dickins and Jones. His jewellery was replaced each series because it was very cheap (the rings with "D" cost 50p each).[66]

text: The seventh series aired in early 1991.[3] Jason and Sullivan were involved with other projects, and it was confirmed that there were no plans for a new series.[78] Despite this, the show continued in Christmas specials until 1993.[78] Sullivan nonetheless wanted a final episode to tie up the show.[78] In late 1996, three more one-hour episodes were filmed,[78] to be broadcast over Christmas 1996.[3] All three were well received and, due to the ending, were assumed to be the last.[79] The show made a return in Christmas 2001 with the first of three new episodes which were shot together but ultimately broadcast over three consecutive Christmases from 2001 to 2003.[80][3] Despite rumours of further episodes,[81] in a 2008 interview, Sullivan was quoted as saying: "There will not be another series of Only Fools And Horses. I can say that. We had our day, it was wonderful but it is best to leave it now".[82] Though Sullivan died in 2011, it returned for a special Sport Relief episode in 2014.[83]

text: Theme music and titles[edit]

text: Only Fools and Horses has separate theme songs for the opening and closing credits, "Only Fools and Horses" and "Hooky Street", respectively.[84] The original theme tune was produced by Ronnie Hazlehurst and recorded on 6 August 1981 at Lime Grove Studios. Alf Bigden, Paul Westwood, Don Hunt, John Dean, Judd Proctor, Eddie Mordue, and Rex Morris were hired to play the music. The tune was changed after the first series, and the new one was written by John Sullivan (he disliked the tune for the first series, and his new one explained the show's title[85]), and Hazlehurst conducted it. It was recorded at Lime Grove on 11 May 1982, with musicians John Horler, Dave Richmond, Bigden, and Proctor. Sullivan wanted the band Chas & Dave singing, but this was not possible due to their single Ain't No Pleasing You being successful in the charts.[86] Sullivan had intended for Chas & Dave to sing it because they had enjoyed success with the "Rockney" style, a mixture of rock n' roll and traditional Cockney music.[87] Sullivan was persuaded to do it himself by Ray Butt.[86] Despite the creation of a new theme tune, the original one remained in occasional use.[85] Chas & Dave did later contribute to the show, performing the closing credits song for the 1989 episode "The Jolly Boys' Outing".[88] Both songs are performed by Sullivan himself, and not – as is sometimes thought – by Nicholas Lyndhurst.[89]

text: The opening credits see images of the three principal actors peel on and off the screen sequentially. These appear over a background of still photographs of everyday life in South London. The sequence was conceived by graphic designer, Peter Clayton, as a "metaphor for the vagaries of the Trotters' lifestyle", whereby money was earned and quickly lost again. Clayton had also considered using five-pound notes having Del's face. The action was shot manually frame by frame, and took around six weeks to complete. Clayton knew that it was important to have the characters established in the titles, and prepared a storyboard depicting his ideas using drawings. He photographed various locations with a photographer, and the titles were shot using a rostrum camera and not edited. Brian Stephens, a professional animator, was hired to create the labels' movement.[90]

text: Clayton returned to the show when the titles were changed: for "Christmas Crackers," he re-cut the entire sequence, and added Christmas items. Another change was made necessary by Lennard Pearce's death and Buster Merryfield joining the cast, so the pictures of David Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst were updated too. The sequence was shot on motor drive.[90]

text: The closing credits for the programme varied series by series. The first series used peeling labels featuring the names of the cast and crew, mirroring the opening sequence, but these had to be updated with every new episode, making the process very time-consuming; from the second series the credits switched to a standard rolling format. The third series featured additional symbols. For the fourth series, these designs were replaced with white lettering on a black background. The fifth series had a black and white background, but the sixth series reverted to the black one. For the seventh series, the credits scrolled against a freeze frame of the final scene.[90]

text: Filming locations[edit]

text: The original "Nelson Mandela House" in the titles was Harlech Tower, Park Road East, Acton, London, and since 1988, was filmed at Whitemead House, Duckmoor Road, Ashton, Bristol.[91]

text: Episodes[edit]

text: Sixty-three episodes of Only Fools and Horses, all written by John Sullivan, were broadcast on BBC1 between 8 September 1981 and 25 December 2003.[92][93] The show was aired in seven series (1981–83, 1985–86, 1989 and 1990–91), and thereafter in sporadic Christmas special editions (1991–93, 1996, 2001–03).[3] All earlier episodes had a running time of 30 minutes, but this was extended after Series Six (1989), and all subsequent episodes had a running time ranging from 50 to 95 minutes.[3]

text: Several mini-episodes were produced.[94] An eight-minute episode aired on 27 December 1982 as part of a show hosted by Frank Muir, The Funny Side of Christmas, and attracted 7.2 million viewers.[94] A 5-minute spoof BBC documentary was shown on Breakfast Time on 24 December 1985, with Del being investigated by a BBC consumer expert.[94] An educational episode named "Licensed to Drill", in which Del, Rodney and Grandad discuss oil drilling, was recorded in 1984 but only shown in schools.[95] A 5-minute 1990–91 Persian Gulf War special (dated 1 December 1990) has Del, Rodney, and Albert convey a message to British troops serving in the conflict.[94] It has never been broadcast commercially, but a copy exists at the Imperial War Museum, London.[96] A Comic Relief special showing Del, Rodney and Albert making an appeal for donations was shown on 14 March 1997, with 10.6 million viewers.[97] A Sport Relief special was aired on 21 March 2014.[98]

text: Only Fools and Horses had two producers: Ray Butt from 1981 to 1987,[99] and Gareth Gwenlan thereafter.[100] Seven directors were used: Martin Shardlow directed all episodes in series one,[101] Bernard Thompson directed the 1981 Christmas special,[102] Susan Belbin series four,[103] and Mandie Fletcher series five.[104] Butt directed series three and five, as well as the 1985, 1986 and 1987 Christmas specials.[99] Tony Dow became the established director after 1988, directing all subsequent episodes, bar the first part of Miami Twice, which was directed by Gareth Gwenlan.[105] John Sullivan was executive producer on seven of the final eight episodes.[106]

text: Documentaries[edit]

text: A six-part documentary series titled "The Story of Only Fools and Horses", began on 29 August 2017 on Gold and it will be shown over six weeks. The series features rare and unseen footage from the Trotter archives and specially re-created moments from Del Boy's family and friends.[107]

text: Spin-offs[edit]

text: The Green Green Grass[edit]

text: A spin-off of Only Fools and Horses entitled The Green Green Grass, also written by John Sullivan and directed by Tony Dow, was first aired in the UK in September 2005.[108] Sullivan had considered writing a sitcom around the popular characters of Boycie and Marlene (John Challis and Sue Holderness) since the mid-1980s, but it was not until the series finally ended that the idea came to fruition. The Green Green Grass sees Boycie and Marlene forced to leave Peckham by one-time Only Fools and Horses villains, the Driscoll Brothers, and has included guest appearances by Denzil (Paul Barber) and Sid (Roy Heather). A second series of The Green Green Grass was broadcast in the UK in October 2006,[109] a third in November 2007[110] and a fourth in January 2009.[111]

text: Rock & Chips[edit]

text: In 2003, it was reported that Sullivan was developing a prequel to the original series, Once Upon a Time in Peckham, which would feature Del as a youngster in the 1960s, and have a prominent role for his parents.[112] In 2009, it was again reported that the BBC were considering commissioning the show, although nothing was confirmed.[113] On 5 April 2009, Sullivan told The Mail on Sunday that he was planning a prequel to Only Fools and Horses which would star Nicholas Lyndhurst as Freddie "The Frog" Robdal, a local criminal and Rodney's biological father; Robdal was the focus of the episode "The Frog's Legacy".[114]

text: On 3 July 2009, the BBC revealed that the title of the spin-off would be Sex, Drugs & Rock ‘n’ Chips, and would be a 90-minute comedy drama.[115] The title was subsequently changed to Rock & Chips.[116] Filming began in August 2009, and it was shown on BBC One at 9pm on 24 January 2010.[117] In October 2009 it was confirmed that Lyndhurst would star as Robdal.[118] The Inbetweeners and Off The Hook actor James Buckley played the role of the young Del Boy.[118]

text: Home media[edit]

text: It has been released on VHS, DVD and audio CD in several guises. A DVD collection containing every episode was issued, along with various other special edition box-sets, such as a tin based on their Reliant Regal. Videos and DVDs of Only Fools and Horses continue to be among the BBC's biggest-selling items, having sold over 6 million VHS copies and 1 million DVDs in the UK.[119][120]

text: In other media[edit]

text: Audio[edit]

text: Four episodes ("The Long Legs of the Law", "A Losing Streak", "No Greater Love" and "The Yellow Peril") were re-edited for audio purposes and released on audio cassette on 12 October 1998. The cassette was re-released in October 2000.[121]

text: Theatre[edit]

text: A 4-minute show named "Royal Variety Performance" was shown on 27 November 1988 (viewed by 18.14 million people) and had Del, Rodney, and Albert appear on the Royal Variety Show.[94] It was staged on 24 November 1986, and the plot saw David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst and Buster Merryfield appear on stage in character, thinking that they are delivering boxes of alcohol to an associate of Del's, only later realising where they actually are.[122] They also mistake the Duchess of York for Del's associate.[123]

text: An idea of an Only Fools and Horses stage show was mooted by Ray Butt, following the success of other sit-com crossovers such as Dad's Army and Are You Being Served?. Sullivan wasn't keen, owing to his work on Just Good Friends as well as Only Fools and Horses, and inexperience with the theatre, so nothing came of it.[67]

text: Books[edit]

text: Only Fools and Horses spawned many merchandising spin-offs. Several books have been published, such as "The Only Fools and Horses Story" by Steve Clark[124] and "The Complete A-Z of Only Fools and Horses" by Richard Webber,[125] both of which detail the history of the series. The scripts have been published in a three-volume compendium, "The Bible of Peckham".[126]

text: In October 2015, He Who Dares..., a fictional autobiography, was released by Ebury Press. The book was written with the backing of John Sullivan's estate.[127][128][129]

text: Board games[edit]

text: Two board games based on the show were released: a Monopoly-style game, the "Trotters Trading Game", in which participants attempt to emulate the Trotters and become millionaires,[130] and another game set in their local pub, entitled the "Nag's Head Board Game".[131]

text: Reception[edit]

text: Only Fools and Horses is one of the UK's most popular sitcoms. It was among the ten most-watched television shows of the year in the UK in 1986,[132] 1989,[133] 1990,[134] 1991,[135] 1992,[136] 1993,[137] 1996,[138] 2001,[139] 2002[140] and 2003.[141] The 1996 Christmas trilogy of "Heroes and Villains", "Modern Men" and "Time On Our Hands" saw the show's peak. The first two attracted 21.3 million viewers,[142][143] while the third episode – at the time believed to be the final one – got 24.3 million,[144] a record audience for a British sitcom.[145] Repeat episodes also attract millions of viewers,[146] and the BBC has received criticism for repeating the show too often.[147][148]

text: Only Fools and Horses won the BAFTA award for best comedy series in 1985,[149] 1988[150] and 1996,[151] was nominated in 1983,[152] 1986,[153] 1989,[154] 1990[155] and 1991,[156] and won the audience award in 2004. David Jason received individual BAFTAs for his portrayal of Del Boy in 1990[157] and 1996.[158] The series won a National Television Award in 1997 for most popular comedy series;[159] Jason won two individual awards, in 1997 and 2002.[159] At the British Comedy Awards, the show was named best BBC sitcom for 1990,[160] and received the People's Choice award in 1997.[161] It also won the Royal Television Society best comedy award in 1997 and two Television and Radio Industries Club Awards for comedy programme of the year, in 1984 and 1997.[162] John Sullivan received the Writers' Guild of Great Britain comedy award in 1997.[163]

text: The show regularly features in polls to find the most popular comedy series, moments and characters. It was voted Britain's Best Sitcom in a 2004 BBC poll,[164] and came 45th in the British Film Institute's list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes.[165] It was 3rd on a subsequent viewers' poll on the BFI website.[166] Empire magazine ranked Only Fools and Horses #42 on their list of the 50 greatest television shows of all time.[167] It was also named the funniest British sitcom of all time through a scientific formula, in a study by Gold.[168] Scenes such as Del Boy's fall through a bar flap in "Yuppy Love" and the Trotters accidentally smashing a priceless chandelier in "A Touch of Glass" have become recognisable British comedy moments, invariably topping polls of comedy viewers.[169][170][171][172] Del Boy was voted the most popular British television character of all time in a survey by Open....[173] and came fourth in a Channel 4 list of Britain's best-loved television characters.[174] A Onepoll survey found that Only Fools and Horses was the television series Britons would most like to see return.[175]

text: Cultural impact[edit]

text: In addition to its mainstream popularity, Only Fools and Horses has also developed a cult following. The Only Fools and Horses Appreciation Society, established in 1993, has a membership of around 7,000,[176] publishes a quarterly newsletter, Hookie Street, and organises annual conventions of fans, usually attended by cast members. The Society has also organised an Only Fools and Horses museum, containing props from the series, including Del's camel-hair coat and the Trotters' Ford Capri.[177] It was named one of the top 20 cult television programmes of all-time by TV critic Jeff Evans. Evans spoke of:

text:
“
"[shows] such as Only Fools and Horses, which gets tremendous viewing figures but does inspire conventions of fans who meet in pubs called the Nag's Head and wander round dressed as their favourite characters"[178]
”

tag: table

text: Only Fools and Horses – and consequently John Sullivan – is credited with the popularisation in Britain of several words and phrases used by Del Boy regularly, particularly "Plonker",[179] meaning a fool or an idiot, and two expressions of delight or approval: "Cushty"[179] and "Lovely jubbly". The latter was borrowed from an advertising slogan for a popular 1960s orange juice drink, called Jubbly, which was packaged in a pyramid shaped, waxed paper carton. Sullivan remembered it and thought it was an expression Del Boy would use; in 2003, the phrase was incorporated into the new Oxford English Dictionary.[180]

text: Owing to its exposure on Only Fools and Horses, the Reliant Regal van is now often linked with the show in the British media.[181][182][183] The one used by the Trotters has attained cult status and is currently on display at the Cars of the Stars exhibition at the National Motor Museum, alongside many other vehicles from British and American television and movies, such as the Batmobile and the DeLorean from Back to the Future.[184] Boxer Ricky Hatton, a fan of the show, purchased one of the original vans in 2004.[185] Another of the vans used in the series was sold at auction in the UK for £44,000 in February 2007.[186]

text: During the media frenzy surrounding The Independent's revelations that the new bottled water Dasani, marketed by Coca-Cola, was in fact just purified tap water from Sidcup, mocking parallels were made with the Only Fools and Horses episode, "Mother Nature's Son", in which Del sells tap water as "Peckham Spring".[187] In the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics, the Trotters' yellow Reliant van appeared on stage, along with two characters dressed as Batman and Robin, a reference to the Only Fools and Horses episode "Heroes and Villains".[188]

text: Roes Tyler's Father Pete Tyler is referred to as "a bit of a Del Boy" in the Doctor Who episode "Father's Day".[189]

text: International remakes[edit]

text: Only Fools and Horses was sold to countries throughout the world. Australia, Belgium, Cyprus, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Malta, New Zealand, Pakistan, Portugal, South Africa, Spain and Yugoslavia are among those who purchased it.[190] In all former Yugoslav countries in which Serbo-Croatian is spoken the title was Mućke (or Мућке in Cyrillic script), which can roughly be translated as "shady deals." In Macedonia, it's Spletki (Сплетки in Cyrillic). In Slovenia, however, the show was coined Samo bedaki in konji, which is a literal Slovenian translation of the original English title. The show has enjoyed particular popularity in the former Yugoslavia, and is regarded as a cult series in Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia.[191]

text: A number of overseas re-makes have also been produced. A Dutch version aired for one series in 1995, entitled Wat schuift't? (What's it worth?). The Trotters were renamed the Aarsmans and it starred Johnny Kraaykamp jnr. as Stef (Del), Sacco Van der Made as Grandad and Kasper van Kooten as Robbie (Rodney), and was shown on RTL 4.[192] A Portuguese re-make, O Fura-Vidas, a local expression for someone who lives outside the law, ran for three series from 1999 to 2001. It was a literal translation of the British version, with all episodes based on the originals. It centred on the Fintas family, who live in Sapadores, a neighbourhood in Lisbon, and starred Miguel Guilherme as Quim (Del), Canto e Castro as Grandad, and Ivo Canelas as Joca (Rodney). In this Portuguese version the Reliant's equivalent was a 1988 Suzuki Super Carry.[193] A Slovenian re-make, called Brat bratu (Brother to Brother), was broadcast from 2008 to 2009. All episodes were based on the original British storylines, and it was made in co-operation with John Sullivan. It featured brothers Brane (Brane Šturbej) and Bine (Jure Drevenšek), who moved from Maribor to Ljubljana. The series also stars Peter Ternovšek as Grandad. It was directed by Branko Đurić. The series was cancelled after thirteen episodes due to poor ratings.[194]

text: There have been several plans to produce an American version. One was to be a star vehicle for former M*A*S*H actor Harry Morgan, with Grandad rather than Del becoming the lead character.[195] The other, entitled This Time Next Year..., would have seen the Trotters renamed the Flannagans. A draft script was written for the latter,[196] but neither show materialised. In 2010 Steve Carell, star of the US version of The Office, expressed an interest in making an American version of the series, with him to star as Del Boy.[197] In January 2012 US network ABC commissioned a pilot of an Only Fools and Horses remake titled "King of Van Nuys", written by Scrubs writers Steven Cragg and Brian Bradley.[198] It was developed, rejected and then redeveloped – only to be rejected again later in the year. The pilot starred John Leguizamo as Del, Dustin Ybarra as his brother Rodney and Christopher Lloyd as Grandad.[199]

text: A parody called Only Jerks and Horses was written by David Walliams and Matt Lucas and directed by Edgar Wright in 1997.[200]

text: Notes[edit]

text:
^ Jump up to: a b c d Lewisohn, Mark. "Only Fools and Horses". BBC. Archived from the original on 23 September 2006. Retrieved 13 September 2006.
^ Jump up to: a b c Lee, Darren. "Only Fools and Horses (1981-96)". BFI Screenonline. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Clark (2011). The Official Inside Story. pp. 290–316.
Jump up ^ Webber (2003). A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. pp. 211, 212.
Jump up ^ "Del's Lingo". BBC. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
^ Jump up to: a b c Webber (2003). "History of the sitcom". A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. pp. 96–102.
Jump up ^ Brooks, Xan (26 November 2014). "Jim Broadbent – the actor who rejected an OBE. And Only Fools and Horses". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
Jump up ^ "Rodney". BBC. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
Jump up ^ Webber (2003). A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. p. 215.
^ Jump up to: a b Clark (1998). Only Fools and Horses Story. p. 14.
^ Jump up to: a b Clark (1998). Only Fools and Horses Story. p. 15.
Jump up ^ Webber (2003). A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. pp. 212, 213.
Jump up ^ Clark (1998). Only Fools and Horses Story. pp. 52, 104–106.
Jump up ^ Webber (2003). A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. p. 185.
Jump up ^ Clark (1998). Only Fools and Horses Story. pp. 102–103.
^ Jump up to: a b Webber (2003). A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. pp. 209, 210.
Jump up ^ "Uncle Albert". BBC. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
Jump up ^ Webber (2003). A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. p. 136.
Jump up ^ Clark (2011). The Official Inside Story. p. 254.
^ Jump up to: a b Webber (2003). A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. pp. 207, 208.
Jump up ^ Clark (1998). Only Fools and Horses Story. p. 60.
Jump up ^ "Trigger". BBC. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b Webber (2003). A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. pp. 39, 40.
Jump up ^ "Boycie". BBC. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
Jump up ^ Clark (2011). The Official Inside Story. pp. 271, 273.
Jump up ^ Webber (2003). A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. p. 102.
Jump up ^ Webber (2003). A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. pp. 217, 218.
Jump up ^ "Raquel". BBC. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
^ Jump up to: a b Webber (2003). A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. p. 210.
Jump up ^ Webber (2003). A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. p. 38.
Jump up ^ "Marlene". BBC. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
Jump up ^ "Denzil". BBC. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
Jump up ^ Webber (2003). A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. pp. 55, 56, 63, 64.
Jump up ^ Clark (1998). Only Fools and Horses Story. p. 98.
Jump up ^ Webber (2003). A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. pp. 155, 156.
Jump up ^ Webber (2003). A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. pp. 73,74,129–131.
Jump up ^ Webber (2003). A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. p. 176.
^ Jump up to: a b c Webber (2003). A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. p. 214.
Jump up ^ Webber (2003). A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. pp. 214, 215.
Jump up ^ Webber (2003). A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. p. 169.
Jump up ^ Webber (2003). A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. pp. 110, 184.
Jump up ^ Webber (2003). A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. p. 150.
Jump up ^ Webber (2003). A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. p. 217.
Jump up ^ BBC Comedy Greats (12 March 2010), There's No Calories in Weed Killer – Only Fools and Horses – BBC, retrieved 13 May 2016
Jump up ^ Webber (2003). A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. pp. 235, 236.
Jump up ^ Webber (2003). A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. pp. 126, 127.
Jump up ^ Webber (2003). A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. pp. 192, 193.
Jump up ^ Webber (2003). A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. pp. 47,202,204.
Jump up ^ Webber (2003). A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. pp. 71,182,183.
Jump up ^ Webber (2003). A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. p. 178.
Jump up ^ Webber (2003). A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. pp. 66, 67.
Jump up ^ "Sue Holderness Interview". Gold. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
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Jump up ^ Webber (2003). A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. pp. 50,111.
Jump up ^ Webber (2003). A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. p. 137.
Jump up ^ Webber (2003). A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. p. 108.
Jump up ^ Webber (2003). A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. p. 194.
Jump up ^ Webber (2003). A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. p. 30.
Jump up ^ Webber (2003). A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. p. 182.
Jump up ^ Clark, Steve (1998). The Only Fools and Horses Story. pp. 10–11.
^ Jump up to: a b Clark (1998). Only Fools and Horses Story. p. 12.
Jump up ^ McCann (2012). The Story of Britain's Favourite Comedy. p. 52.
Jump up ^ McCann (2012). The Story of Britain's Favourite Comedy. pp. 52–55.
Jump up ^ "Big Brother". BBC. Retrieved 29 December 2006.
Jump up ^ Clark (1998). Only Fools and Horses Story. p. 78.
^ Jump up to: a b c Clark (1998). Only Fools and Horses Story. p. 84.
^ Jump up to: a b Clark (1998). Only Fools and Horses Story. pp. 92–93.
Jump up ^ Webber, Richard; Dr John Sullivan (2003). The Complete A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. Orion. p. 28.
Jump up ^ Clark (2011). The Official Inside Story. p. 159.
^ Jump up to: a b Clark (1998). Only Fools and Horses Story. p. 100.
Jump up ^ Clark (1998). Only Fools and Horses Story. p. 102.
Jump up ^ Clark (1998). Only Fools and Horses Story. pp. 102–104.
Jump up ^ Clark (1998). Only Fools and Horses Story. p. 104.
Jump up ^ Clark (1998). Only Fools and Horses Story. pp. 116–118.
Jump up ^ Clark (1998). Only Fools and Horses Story. pp. 120, 121.
Jump up ^ Clark (1998). Only Fools and Horses Story. p. 121.
Jump up ^ Webber (2003). A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. p. 101.
^ Jump up to: a b c d Clark (1998). Only Fools and Horses Story. pp. 136–139.
Jump up ^ Clark (1998). Only Fools and Horses Story. pp. 140–143.
Jump up ^ "Only Fools And Horses to return". BBC. 6 August 2001. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
Jump up ^ "David Jason suggests Only Fools and Horses could return". British Comedy Guide. 24 March 2010. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
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Jump up ^ Saul, Heather (4 January 2014). "Del Boy and Rodney to return in Only Fools and Horses sketch". The Independent. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
Jump up ^ Clark (1998). Only Fools and Horses Story. p. 2.
^ Jump up to: a b "BBC ONE celebrates 21st birthday of Only Fools and Horses". BBC. 3 September 2002. Retrieved 17 January 2007.
^ Jump up to: a b Webber (2003). A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. pp. 193, 194.
Jump up ^ "Rockney geezers: A knees-up with Chas & Dave". The Independent. London. 19 December 2007. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
Jump up ^ Webber (2003). A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. p. 112.
Jump up ^ "Trotter Trivia". UKTV Gold. Archived from the original on 27 November 2007. Retrieved 5 August 2008.
^ Jump up to: a b c Webber (2003). A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. p. 202.
Jump up ^ Clark, Steve (1998). The Only Fools and Horses Story. p. 52.
Jump up ^ Clark (1998). Only Fools and Horses Story. pp. 146–158.
Jump up ^ Webber (2003). A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. p. 5.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e McCann (2012). The Story of Britain's Favourite Comedy. p. 312.
Jump up ^ "Specials". The Nag's Head. Retrieved 13 September 2006.
Jump up ^ Webber (2003). A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. p. 95.
Jump up ^ McCann (2012). The Story of Britain's Favourite Comedy. pp. 312, 313.
Jump up ^ "Sport Relief TV revealed". Sport Relief. Archived from the original on 24 January 2014. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
^ Jump up to: a b Webber (2003). A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. p. 45.
Jump up ^ Webber (2003). A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. p. 85.
Jump up ^ Webber (2003). A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. p. 175.
Jump up ^ Webber (2003). A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. p. 195.
Jump up ^ Webber (2003). A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. p. 32.
Jump up ^ Webber (2003). A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. p. 74.
Jump up ^ For the full production team, see Webber (2003), p. 161
Jump up ^ Webber (2003). A-Z of Only Fools and Horses. p. 187.
Jump up ^ "Gold commissions two Sir David Jason Specials". UKTV. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
Jump up ^ "The Green Green Grass Series 1". The British Sitcom Guide. Retrieved 29 January 2007.
Jump up ^ "The Green Green Grass Series 2". The British Sitcom Guide. Retrieved 29 January 2007.
Jump up ^ "The Green Green Grass Series 3". The British Sitcom Guide. Retrieved 29 April 2008.
Jump up ^ "The Green Green Grass Series 4". The British Sitcom Guide. Retrieved 10 June 2009.
Jump up ^ "'Fools and Horses' to get 60s spin-off". UK TV. 6 September 2003. Archived from the original on 3 February 2008. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
Jump up ^ Johnson, Andrew (11 January 2009). "Lovely jubbly! Del Boy's back – as a teenager". The Independent. London. Retrieved 23 March 2009.
Jump up ^ Rollo, Sarah (6 April 2009). "Television – News – 'Only Fools and Horses' prequel planned". Digital Spy. Retrieved 6 April 2009.
Jump up ^ "Press Office – BBC One brings back the Trotters in Sex, Drugs & Rock 'n' Chips". BBC. Retrieved 3 July 2009.
Jump up ^ "Press Office – Network TV Programme Information BBC Week 4 Sunday 24 January 2010". BBC. Retrieved 22 March 2012.
Jump up ^ Parker, Robin (3 July 2009). "Trotters to return in Only Fools and Horses prequel". Broadcastnow.co.uk. Retrieved 3 July 2009. (subscription required)
^ Jump up to: a b "Lyndhurst returns as Rodney's dad". BBC News. 5 October 2009. Retrieved 28 March 2010.
Jump up ^ "Only Fools and Horses – Strangers on the Shore". 7 October 2003. Retrieved 30 December 2006.
Jump up ^ "Only Fools And Horses Lvly Jbly with 'text' generation". BBC. 1 November 2003. Retrieved 30 December 2006.
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Jump up ^ Clark (1998). Only Fools and Horses Story. pp. 118, 119.
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Jump up ^ Steve Clark. "A tribute to Only Fools and Horses producer Gareth Gwenlan". Steve Clark. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
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Jump up ^ Rigby, Sam (28 May 2015). "Del Boy is releasing his autobiography He Who Dares in October". Digital Spy. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
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Jump up ^ Trotter, Derek 'Del Boy' (8 October 2015). "He Who Dares". Ebury Press – via Amazon.
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tag: ol


document_title: The Incredibles

question_text: what is the power of the baby in the incredibles

text: The Incredibles

text: Plot[edit]

text: Public opinion turns against superheroes—also called "Supers"—due to the collateral damage caused by their crime-fighting. After several lawsuits, the government silently initiates the Superhero Relocation Program, which forces Supers to permanently adhere to their secret identities.

text: Fifteen years later, Bob and Helen Parr—formerly known as Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl—and their children Violet, Dash, and baby Jack-Jack are a suburban family. Bob dislikes the mundanity of suburbia and his white-collar job. Together with his friend Lucius Best, formerly known as Frozone, Bob occasionally relives "the glory days" by moonlighting as a vigilante.

text: After his supervisor prevents him from stopping a mugging, Bob loses his temper and injures him, resulting in the loss of his job. Returning home, Bob finds a message from a mysterious woman named Mirage who convinces him to become Mr. Incredible again, and gives him a mission to destroy a savage tripod-like robot called the Omnidroid on the remote island of Nomanisan. Bob finds the Omnidroid and destroys it by tricking it into ripping out its own power source.

text: Bob finds the action and higher pay rejuvenating; he improves his relationship with his family and begins rigorous training while awaiting more work from Mirage for the next two months. Discovering a tear in his suit, he visits superhero costume designer Edna Mode. Mode, assuming that Helen knows what Bob is doing, makes new suits for the entire family. Leaving for Nomanisan once again, Bob discovers Mirage is working for Buddy Pine, a disaffected former fan whom Mr. Incredible had rejected as his sidekick. Having adopted the name Syndrome, he has been perfecting the Omnidroid by hiring different Supers to fight it, adding new features on the occasion that a Super wins. Now that it is capable of defeating Bob, Syndrome intends to send the machine to the city of Metroville. There, he will secretly manipulate its controls to defeat it in public, becoming a hero himself. Later, he will sell his inventions so that everyone will become equally "super", making the term meaningless.

text: Meanwhile, Helen visits Edna and learns what Bob has been up to. Edna activates a beacon she built into the suits so Helen can find Bob, inadvertently causing him to be discovered and captured. Helen borrows a private plane to head for Nomanisan, but Violet and Dash have stowed away wearing their own suits, leaving Jack-Jack with a babysitter. Syndrome shoots down Helen's plane, but she and the children survive and reach the island. Helen infiltrates the base, discovering Syndrome's intentions to send the Omnidroid to Metroville in a rocket. Distraught by Syndrome's callousness when her life was threatened, Mirage releases Bob and informs him of his family's survival. At the same time, Helen arrives and races off with Bob to find their children. Dash and Violet are spotted and chased by a number of Syndrome's guards, but fend them off with their powers before reuniting with their parents. However, Syndrome captures them, leaving them imprisoned on Nomanisan while he follows the rocket to Metroville.

text: The Parrs escape and travel to Metroville in a spare rocket. True to its programming, the Omnidroid recognizes Syndrome as an opponent and attacks the remote on his wrist, making him incapable of controlling it, while simultaneously knocking him unconscious. The Parrs and Frozone team up to fight the Omnidroid; the battle is indecisive until Bob comes across the remote, allowing him to control one of the robot's arms and use it to destroy its power source. Returning home, the Parrs find Syndrome, who plans to kidnap and raise Jack-Jack as his own sidekick to exact revenge on the family. As Syndrome is traveling upward to reach his airplane, Jack-Jack's own superpowers start to manifest and he escapes from Syndrome midair. Syndrome manages to get on the plane and gloats, but Bob throws his own car towards the plane, causing Syndrome to lose his balance and get sucked into the plane's jet engine, destroying the aircraft and killing him, while Helen catches Jack-Jack.

text: Three months later, the Parrs witness the arrival of a new villain called the Underminer. They put on their superhero masks, ready to face a new threat.

text: Voice cast[edit]

text:
Craig T. Nelson as Bob Parr / Mr. Incredible, the patriarch of the Parr family, possessing super-strength and limited invulnerability.
Holly Hunter as Helen Parr / Elastigirl, Bob's wife, who possesses the ability to stretch her body like rubber.
Sarah Vowell as Violet Parr, the Parrs' eldest child, who can become invisible and generate an impact-resistant force shield.
Spencer Fox as Dashiell Robert Parr / Dash, the Parrs' second child, who possesses super-speed.
Jason Lee as Buddy Pine / Incredi-Boy / Syndrome, a former superhero fanatic who has no super powers of his own but uses advanced technology to give himself equivalent abilities.
Samuel L. Jackson as Lucius Best / Frozone, Bob's best friend, who has the ability to form ice from humidity.
Elizabeth Peña as Mirage, Syndrome's agent.
Eli Fucile and Maeve Andrews as Jack-Jack Parr, the Parrs' infant third child, who initially shows no powers but eventually reveals himself to have laser eyes and a wide range of shape-shifting abilities.
Brad Bird as Edna Mode, the fashion designer for the Supers.
Bud Luckey as Rick Dicker, a government agent who is responsible for helping the Parrs stay mundane and undercover.
Wallace Shawn as Gilbert Huph, Bob's supervisor at his white-collar insurance job.
John Ratzenberger as The Underminer, a new villain who appears at the end of the film.
Dominique Louis as Bomb Voyage, a villain from the past who uses Buddy's interference in Mr. Incredible's heroism to escape.
Michael Bird as Tony Rydinger, a popular boy at Violet's school who develops a crush on Violet.
Jean Sincere as Mrs. Hogenson, an elderly woman who seeks help from Mr. Incredible for an insurance claim.
Kimberly Adair Clark as Honey Best, Frozone's wife.
Bret Parker as Kari, Jack-Jack's babysitter.
Lou Romano as Bernie Kropp, Dash's teacher.
Wayne Canney as the principal of Dash's school.[3]

text: Production[edit]

text: Writing[edit]

text: The Incredibles as a concept dates back to 1993 when Bird sketched the family during a period in which he tried to break into film.[4][5] Personal issues had percolated into the story as they weighed on him in life.[6] During this time, Bird had inked a production deal with Warner Bros. Animation and was in the process of directing his first feature, The Iron Giant.[7] Approaching middle age and having high aspirations for his filmmaking, Bird pondered whether his career goals were attainable only at the price of his family life.[6] He stated, "Consciously, this was just a funny movie about superheroes. But I think that what was going on in my life definitely filtered into the movie."[8] After the box office failure of The Iron Giant, Bird gravitated toward his superhero story.[6][7]

text: He imagined it as an homage to the 1960s comic books and spy films from his boyhood and he initially tried to develop it as a 2D cel animation.[6] When The Iron Giant became a box office bomb, he reconnected with old friend John Lasseter at Pixar in March 2000 and pitched his story idea to him.[5] Bird and Lasseter knew each other from their college years at CalArts in the 1970s.[9] Lasseter was sold on the idea and convinced Bird to come to Pixar, where the film would be done in computer animation. The studio announced a multi-film contract with Bird on May 4, 2000,[6] breaking Pixar's mold of having directors who had all risen through the ranks. The Incredibles was written and directed solely by Brad Bird, a departure from previous Pixar productions which typically had two or three directors and as many screenwriters.[10] In addition, it would be the company's first film in which all characters are human.[9]

text:
"The dad is always expected in the family to be strong, so I made him strong. The moms are always pulled in a million different directions, so I made her stretch like taffy. Teenagers, particularly teenage girls, are insecure and defensive, so I made her turn invisible and turn on shields. And ten-year-old boys are hyperactive energy balls. Babies are unrealized potential."

– Brad Bird, writer and director of The Incredibles.[11][12]

tag: div

text: Bird came to Pixar with the lineup of the story's family members worked out: a mom and dad, both suffering through the dad's midlife crisis; a shy teenage girl; a cocky ten-year-old boy; and a baby. Bird had based their powers on family archetypes.[6][12] After several failed attempts to cast Edna Mode, Bird took on her voice role himself. It was an extension of the Pixar custom of tapping in-house staff whose voices came across particularly well on scratch dialogue tracks.[13] During production, Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli visited Pixar and saw the film's story reels. When Bird asked if the reels made any sense or if they were just "American nonsense," Miyazaki replied, through an interpreter, "I think it's a very adventurous thing you are trying to do in an American film."[14]

text: Animation[edit]

text: Upon Pixar's acceptance of the project, Brad Bird was asked to bring in his own team for the production. He brought up a core group of people he worked with on The Iron Giant. Because of this, many 2-D artists had to make the shift to 3-D, including Bird himself. Bird found working with CG "wonderfully malleable" in a way that traditional animation is not, calling the camera's ability to easily switch angles in a given scene "marvelously adaptable." He found working in computer animation "difficult" in a different way than working traditionally, finding the software "sophisticated and not particularly friendly."[15] Bird wrote the script without knowing the limitations or concerns that went hand-in-hand with the medium of computer animation. As a result, this was to be the most complex film yet for Pixar.[4] The film's characters were designed by Tony Fucile and Teddy Newton, whom Bird had brought with him from Warner Bros.[16] Like most computer-animated films, The Incredibles had a year-long period of building the film from the inside out: modeling the exterior and understanding controls that would work the face and the body—the articulation of the character—before animation could even begin.[15] Bird and Fucile tried to emphasize the graphic quality of good 2-D animation to the Pixar team, who had only worked primarily in CG. Bird attempted to incorporate teaching from Disney's Nine Old Men that the crew at Pixar had "never really emphasized."[15]

text: For the technical crew members, the film's human characters posed a difficult set of challenges.[10] Bird's story was filled with elements that were difficult to animate with CGI back then. Humans are widely considered to be the most difficult things to execute in animation.[5] Pixar's animators filmed themselves walking to better grasp proper human motion.[5] Creating an all-human cast required creating new technology to animate detailed human anatomy, clothing, and realistic skin and hair. Although the technical team had some experience with hair and cloth in Monsters, Inc. (2001), the amount of hair and cloth required for The Incredibles had never been done by Pixar up until this point. Moreover, Bird would tolerate no compromises for the sake of technical simplicity. Where the technical team on Monsters, Inc. had persuaded director Pete Docter to accept pigtails on Boo to make her hair easier to animate, the character Violet had to have long hair that obscured her face; in fact, this was integral to her character.[10] Violet's long hair, which was extremely difficult to animate, was only successfully animated toward the end of production. In addition, animators had to adapt to having hair both underwater and blowing through the wind.[15] Disney was initially reluctant to make the film because of these issues, thinking that a live-action film would be preferable, but Lasseter denied this.[17]

text: Not only did The Incredibles cope with the difficulty of animating CG humans, but also many other complications. The story was bigger than any prior story at the studio, was longer in running time, and had four times the number of locations.[15][18] Supervising technical director Rick Sayre noted that the hardest thing about the film was that there was "no hardest thing," alluding to the amount of new technical challenges: fire, water, air, smoke, steam, and explosions were all additional to the new difficulty of working with humans.[15] The film's organizational structure could not be mapped out like previous Pixar features, and it became a running joke to the team.[15] Sayre said the team adopted “Alpha Omega," where one team was concerned with building modeling, shading, and layout, while another dealt with final camera, lighting, and effects. Another team, dubbed the "character team," digitally sculpted, rigged, and shaded all of the characters, and a simulation team was responsible for developing simulation technology for hair and clothing.[15] There were at least 781 visual effects shots in the film, and they were quite often visual gags, such as the window shattering when Bob angrily shuts the car door. Additionally, the effects team improved their modeling of clouds, using volumetric rendering for the first time.[15]

text: The skin of the characters gained a new level of realism from a technology to produce known as "subsurface scattering."[16] The challenges did not stop with modeling humans. Bird decided that in a shot near the film's end, baby Jack-Jack would have to undergo a series of transformations, and in one of the five planned he would turn himself into a kind of goo. Technical directors, who anticipated spending two months or even longer to work out the goo effect, stealing precious hours from production that had already entered its final and most critical stages, petitioned the film's producer, John Walker, for help.[19] Bird, who had himself brought Walker over from Warner Bros. to work on the project, was at first immovable, but after arguing with Walker in several invective-laced meetings over the course of two months, Bird finally conceded.[19] Bird also insisted that the storyboards define the blocking of characters' motions, lighting, and camera movements, which had previously been left to other departments rather than storyboarded.[10]

text: Bird self-admitted that he "had the knees of [the studio] trembling under the weight" of The Incredibles, but called the film a "testament to the talent of the animators at Pixar," who were admiring the challenges the film provoked.[15] He recalled, "Basically, I came into a wonderful studio, frightened a lot of people with how many presents I wanted for Christmas, and then got almost everything I asked for."[17]

text: Music[edit]

text: The Incredibles is the first Pixar film to be scored by Michael Giacchino. Brad Bird was looking for a specific sound as inspired by the film's design – the future as seen from the 1960s. John Barry was the first choice to do the film's score, with a trailer of the film given a rerecording of Barry's theme to On Her Majesty's Secret Service. However, Barry did not wish to duplicate the sound of some of his earlier soundtracks;[20] the assignment was instead given to Giacchino.[21] Giacchino noted that recording in the 1960s was largely different from modern day recording and Dan Wallin, the recording engineer, said that Bird wanted an old feel, and as such the score was recorded on analog tapes. Wallin noted that brass instruments, which are at the forefront of the film's score, sound better on analog equipment rather than digital. Wallin came from an era in which music was recorded, according to Giacchino, "the right way", which consists of everyone in the same room, "playing against each other and feeding off each other's energy". Tim Simonec was the conductor/orchestrator for the score's recording.[22]

text: The film's orchestral score was released on November 2, 2004, three days before the film opened in theaters. It won numerous awards for best score including Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award, BMI Film & TV Award, ASCAP Film and Television Music Award, Annie Award, Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award and Online Film Critics Society Award and was nominated for Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media, Satellite Award and Broadcast Film Critics Association Award.[23]

text: Themes[edit]

text: Several film reviewers drew precise parallels between the film and certain superhero comic books, like Powers, Watchmen, Fantastic Four, and The Avengers. Indeed, the producers of the 2005 adaptation of Fantastic Four were forced to make significant script changes and add more special effects because of similarities to The Incredibles.[24] Bird was not surprised that comparisons arose due to superheroes being "the most well-trod turf on the planet," but noted that he had not been inspired by any comic books specifically, only having heard of Watchmen. He did comment that it was nice to be compared to it, since "if you're going to be compared to something, it's nice if it's something good".[12]

text: Some commentators took Bob's frustration with celebrating mediocrity and Syndrome's comment that "when everyone's super, no one will be" as a reflection of views shared by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche or an extension of Russian-American novelist Ayn Rand's Objectivism philosophy, which Bird felt was "ridiculous."[5][12] He stated that a large portion of the audience understood the satire whereas "two percent thought I was doing The Fountainhead or Atlas Shrugged." Some purported that The Incredibles exhibited a right-wing bias, which Bird also scoffed at. "I think that's as silly of an analysis as saying The Iron Giant was left-wing. I'm definitely a centrist and feel like both parties can be absurd."[5]

text: The film also explored Bird's dislike for the tendency of the children's comics and Saturday morning cartoons of his youth to portray villains as unrealistic, ineffectual, and non-threatening.[25] In the film, Dash and Violet have to deal with villains who are perfectly willing to use deadly force against children.[26] On another level, both Dash and Violet display no emotion or regret at the deaths of those who are trying to kill them, such as when Dash outruns pursuers who crash their vehicles while chasing him, or when both of them witness their parents destroy several attacking vehicles with people inside, in such a manner that the deaths of those piloting them is undeniable. Despite disagreeing with some analysis, Bird felt it gratifying for his work to be considered on many different levels, which was his intention: "The fact that it was written about in the op/ed section of The New York Times several times was really gratifying to me. Look, it's a mainstream animated movie, and how often are those considered thought provoking?"[5]

text: Release[edit]

text: The film opened on November 5, 2004, as Pixar's first film to be rated PG (for "action violence").[19] Its theatrical release was accompanied with a Pixar short film Boundin'.[27] The promotional campaign included an official website with video segments, games, and printable memorabilia.[28] While Pixar celebrated another triumph with The Incredibles, Steve Jobs was embroiled in a public feud with the head of its distribution partner, The Walt Disney Company.[29] This would eventually lead to the ousting of Michael Eisner and Disney's acquisition of Pixar the following year.

text: In March 2014, Disney CEO and chairman Bob Iger announced that the film would be reformatted and re-released in 3D.[30]

text: Home media[edit]

text: The film's two-disc collector's edition DVD set was released on March 15, 2005. This release also includes Jack-Jack Attack and Mr. Incredible and Pals, two Pixar short films made especially for the release of the film, and Boundin', a Pixar short film which the film premiered within theaters.[27] It was the highest-selling DVD of 2005, with 17.38 million copies sold.[31] The film was also released on UMD for the Sony PSP.[32] It was released on Blu-ray in North America on April 12, 2011.[33] The film was also released on VHS on March 15, 2005.[34]

text: Reception[edit]

text: Box office[edit]

text: Despite concerns that the film would receive underwhelming results,[35] the film's domestic gross was $70,467,623 in its opening weekend from 7,600 screens at 3,933 theaters, averaging $17,917 per theater or $9,272 per screen, the highest opening-weekend gross for a Pixar film (the record was later broken in 2010 by Toy Story 3, with $110,307,189), the highest November opening weekend for a Disney film (the record was broken in 2013 by Thor: The Dark World with $85.7 million),[36] the highest opening weekend for a non-sequel animated feature (the record was broken in 2007 by The Simpsons Movie, with $74,036,787), and the highest opening weekend for a non-franchise-based film for just over five years when Avatar opened with $77,025,481.[37] This opening was the second-highest for an animated film at the time. The film was also number one in its second weekend, grossing another $50,251,359, dropping just 29 percent, and easily out-grossing new animated opener The Polar Express. The film ultimately grossed $261,441,092, as the seventh-highest-grossing Pixar film behind Finding Dory ($486.3 million), Toy Story 3 ($415.0 million), Finding Nemo ($380.8 million), Inside Out ($356.5 million), Up ($293.0 million), Monsters, Inc. ($289.9 million), and Monsters University ($268.5 million) and the fifth-highest-grossing film of 2004.[38] Worldwide, the film grossed $631,442,092, and is thus the seventh-highest-grossing Pixar film behind Toy Story 3 ($1.063 billion), Finding Dory ($1.029 billion), Finding Nemo ($936.7 million), Inside Out ($857.6 million), Monsters University ($743.6 million), and Up ($731.3 million), and ranked fourth for 2004.[39] It is also the second-highest-grossing 2004 animated film behind Shrek 2 ($919.8 million).[40]

text: Critical response[edit]

text: The film received a 97% approval rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on 236 reviews, with an average rating of 8.3/10.[42] which, as of January 2018[update], makes it the 20th-highest-rated animated film of all time.[43] The site's consensus reads "Bringing loads of wit and tons of fun to the animated superhero genre, The Incredibles easily lives up to its name."[42] Metacritic, another review aggregator, indicates the film was met with "universal acclaim", with a score of 90/100 based on 41 critics.[44] Audiences polled for CinemaScore gave the film an "A+" on an "A+ to F" scale.[45]

text: Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three-and-a-half out of four, writing that the film "alternates breakneck action with satire of suburban sitcom life" and is "another example of Pixar's mastery of popular animation."[46] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone also gave the film three-and-a-half, calling it "one of the year's best" and saying that it "doesn't ring cartoonish, it rings true."[47] Giving the film three-and-a-half as well, People magazine found that The Incredibles "boasts a strong, entertaining story and a truckload of savvy comic touches."[48]

text: Conversely, Eleanor Ringel Gillespie of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution was bored by the film's "recurring pastiches of earlier action films", concluding that "the Pixar whizzes do what they do excellently; you just wish they were doing something else."[49][50] Similarly, Jessica Winter of The Village Voice criticized the film for "playing as a standard summer action film", despite being released in early November. Her review, titled as "Full Metal Racket," noted that The Incredibles "announces the studio's arrival in the vast yet overcrowded Hollywood lot of eardrum-bashing, metal-crunching action sludge."[51]

text: Travers also named The Incredibles as #6 on his list of the decade's best films, writing "Of all the Pixar miracles studded through the decade, The Incredibles still delights me the most. It's not every toon that deals with midlife crisis, marital dysfunction, child neglect, impotence fears, fashion faux pas, and existential angst."[52] The National Review Online named The Incredibles no. 2 on its list of the 25 best conservative movies of the last 25 years, saying that it "celebrates marriage, courage, responsibility, and high achievement."[53] Entertainment Weekly named the film No. 25 on its list of the 25 greatest action films ever[54] and no. 7 on its list of the 20 best animated movies ever.[55] IGN ranked the film as the third favorite animated film of all time in a list published in 2010.[56] In 2012, film critic Matt Zoller Seitz declared The Incredibles as the greatest superhero film he has ever seen: "That thing works as a James Bond spoof; a meditation on identities, secret and otherwise; a domestic comedy; a statement on exceptionalism vs. mediocrity, and the perils of the nanny state… And yet it all hangs together. No part feels perfunctory or stupid. It’s all deeply felt."[57] He would also later name the film as the "greatest action movie of the aughts, with [Hero] and [Kung Fu Hustle] following close behind."[58]

text: Accolades[edit]

text: The film won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, beating two DreamWorks films, Shrek 2 and Shark Tale, as well as Best Sound Editing at the 77th Academy Awards. It also received nominations for Best Original Screenplay (for writer/director Brad Bird) and Best Sound Mixing (Randy Thom, Gary Rizzo and Doc Kane).[59] It was Pixar's first feature film to win multiple Oscars, followed in 2010 by Up. Joe Morgenstern of The Wall Street Journal called The Incredibles the year's best picture.[12] Premiere magazine released a cross-section of all the top critics in America and The Incredibles placed at number three, whereas review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes cross-referenced reviews that suggested it was its year's highest-rated film.[12]

text: The film also received the 2004 Annie Award for Best Animated Feature and the 2005 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form, and it was nominated for the 2004 Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. It also won the Saturn Award for Best Animated Film. The American Film Institute nominated The Incredibles for its Top 10 Animated Films list.[60]

text: It was included on Empire's 500 Greatest Films of all time at number 400.[61]

text: Merchandising[edit]

text: Several companies released promotional products related to the film. In the weeks before the film's opening, there were also promotional tie-ins with SBC Communications (using Dash to promote the "blazing-fast speed" of its SBC Yahoo! DSL service) Tide, Downy, Bounce and McDonald's.[62] Dark Horse Comics released a limited series of comic books based on the film.[63] Toy maker Hasbro produced a series of action figures and toys based on the film.[64] Kellogg's released an Incredibles-themed cereal, as well as promotional Pop-Tarts and fruit snacks, all proclaiming an "Incrediberry Blast" of flavor.[65] Pringles included potato chips featuring the superheroes and quotes from the film.[66][67]

text: In July 2008, it was announced that a series of comic books based on the film would be published by BOOM! Studios in collaboration with Disney Publishing by the end of the year.[68] The first miniseries by BOOM! was The Incredibles: Family Matters by Mark Waid and Marcio Takara, which was published from March to June 2009[citation needed] and collected into a trade paperback published in July of that year.[69]

text: Video games[edit]

text: A video game based on the film was released on the PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, PC, and Macintosh, as well as on mobile phones. Though based on the film, several key scenes are altered from the original script. A second game, The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer, was released for the PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, Game Boy Advance, and Nintendo DS, as well as on Windows and OS X.[70] Taking place immediately after the film, the sequel focuses on Mr. Incredible and Frozone as they battle with the megalomaniacal mole, The Underminer.[70] A third game, The Incredibles: When Danger Calls, was released for Windows and OS X.[71] It is a collection of 10 games and activities for the playable characters to perform.[71] Another game, Kinect Rush: A Disney Pixar Adventure, was released on March 20, 2012, for Xbox 360.[72] It features characters and missions from five Pixar's films: The Incredibles, Up, Cars, Ratatouille and Toy Story.[73] The Incredibles characters also star in Disney Infinity, which was released in August 2013. The playset for The Incredibles is featured in the starter pack.[74] A LEGO-themed video game, Lego The Incredibles, will be released by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and is scheduled for a June 10, 2018 release on the Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.[75]

text: Sequel[edit]

text: Director Brad Bird stated in 2007 that he was open to the idea of a sequel if he could come up with an idea superior to the original film: "I have pieces that I think are good, but I don't have them all together."[76] During an interview in May 2013, Bird reiterated his interest in making a sequel. "I have been thinking about it. People think that I have not been, but I have. Because I love those characters and love that world," said Bird. "I am stroking my chin and scratching my head. I have many, many elements that I think would work really well in another Incredibles film, and if I can get ‘em to click all together, I would probably wanna do that."[77]

text: Disney announced their intentions to develop The Incredibles 2 in March 2014. Bird returned to direct and write the screenplay.[30][78] Nelson, Hunter, Vowell, Jackson, and Bird will also return to voice their characters, while Dash will now be voiced by Huck Milner as Fox's voice had deepened in the intervening years.[79] The film will follow immediately from the end of The Incredibles with the Parrs facing the Underminer.[80] The film will focus on Holly Hunter's character, Elastigirl.[81] Originally, Incredibles 2 was to be released on June 21, 2019 as Pixar's next film after Toy Story 4. Due to delays on that title, Pixar swapped the releases, and currently Incredibles 2 is set for release on June 15, 2018.[82]

text: The teaser trailer for the sequel premiered on November 18, 2017. It featured Jack-Jack, who is revealed to have powers, with Bob, happy at this discovery.[83]